Chaldea
Chaldea is a planet in Bountiful System C. Geography and Climate Bountiful C is an M-Class Red Dwarf that circles both Bountiful A and B in a long orbit of 600 solar years. The Bountiful System C is separated from Bountiful Systems A and B by a dense ring of asteroids, comets, and dust called ‘The Mess.’ Chaldea has a warm, wet climate that has given rise to extensive jungles that cover most of its land surface. There are also high mountain ranges that rise over the jungles and mists, the peaks of these mountains are the only place on the planet where it snows. Because of the relative dimness of its sun, its surface receives less than half the sunlight of typical terra-type planets. Concentrations of fluorine in the upper atmosphere and the star’s spectrum results in dark green seas and purple skies. It is a very wet planet, with less than 20% of its surface area being dry land; primarily in the form of very large islands (Philistia being the largest one). It has no ice caps.Its gravity is 88% of gravity on Bountiful Prime. There is no native mammalian or avian life on Chaldea; the dominant life form is most similar to Terran amphibians, and there are thousands of such species. There are also sea-worms more than a kilometer in length. Chaldea orbits its sun every 70 local days, which are 17.5 standard hours in length. Years are rendered in ‘Decks,’ which is every ten orbits. One Chaldean deck is approximately 1.4 Solar years. Chaldea shares its orbit with a sister planet/moon, Babylon, that orbits relatively close to the planet and looms large in the night sky. History and Culture Chaldea was overlooked by the Cordillera ''Survey expedition but was discovered and mapped by colonists in the fifthcentury of Bountiful’s civilization. Throughout history, Chaldea has been known as a place of exile for those fleeing the “civilized worlds” of the Bountiful A and B system. Its people are viewed with some measure of suspicion by those from other worlds, particularly Bountiful Prime, and have a reputation for lowbrow behavior. popular casual shirt sold to tourists reads “Don’t tell anyone I holidayed on Chaldea.” The Chaldean dialect contains a large number of colorful metaphors unknown elsewhere in the system. Chaldea’s flag displays three golden leaves from the Manti plant, which are a symbol of the planet. Chaldea was originally used as a penal colony. Over time, Chaldea evolved to become a place where people from the more civilized parts of the Bountiful System go when they have been personally disgraced or because they simply don’t want to live under the strict social and religious Mores of the other planets. Many people from Chaldea use only a single name, having dropped their family names out of shame or embarrassment. It's status as a place of exile was reflected in the rise of its two largest population centers. Redemption was the original capture, settled on a long seacoast and built around a spaceport that delivered exiles. Exiles to Redemption came from all the major inhabited worlds; Bountiful Prime, Gideon, Cumorah, and Columba Zion. Typically, those who settled into Redemption left their worlds in shame after personal or professional transgressions. In establishing Redemption, the Church of the Bountiful Saints hopes to provide these "lost souls" with the opportunity to redeem themselves, with the expectation that many would return following their rehabilitation. Redemption eventually became the planetary capital. However, it is also notorious and disreputable as a place where gambling, intoxication, and whoring are openly available. Nicknamed "Damnation" by natives and visitors alike, it nonetheless attracts over four million off-world tourists each year. Redemption's counterpart, Sycorax, is the larger city, and was founded as a penal colony and work camp for criminals sent from other worlds in the system. An enormous foundry complex was build to process raw materials and a large seaport to export the materials across the planet. A MagLev railroad eventually followed. Untold thousands of prisoners perished under the harsh conditions and due to predation by other criminals. From Solar Year 6850 to 7050, over a quarter million prisoners were sent to Sycorax. The foundry was shut down following the Provisional Declaration of Chaldean Autonomy, when the planet established an independent Government in SY7050. By this time, most of the city's population were the descendants of the criminals, and the city had a thriving industrial sector based on producing goods for other areas of the planet. The foundry was maintained as a memorial to the planet's past, and is now surrounded by a park and adjoined by a public market square. Sycorax is a city of 3,000,000 people with an additional eight million in the surrounding wards. Chaldea was captured and occupied by the Aurelians during the Second Aurelian War. Since the Bountiful Systems became part of the New Commowealth, public attitudes toward Chaldea have relaxed. Also, the planet itself has cleaned up most of the lawlessness and disorder that soiled its reputation previously. Tourists from elsewhere in the Bountiful System now visit Chaldea to take in its beaches and explore the unique flora and fauna of its jungles. Resort complexes have been built along its coastal regions, especially around Surf City. However, emigrating to Chaldea is still not viewed, within the other planets of the system, as a respectable choice. The Government of Bountiful, however, has actively recruited immigrants from other star systems to settle on Chaldea, and the planet has a small, but growing, community of immigrants, especially from Organon, Bellaria, and Tau M. Chaldea’s political system is close to pure capitalism; Government services are purchased and the Government must compete with private entities to provide those services. The central governing body is the Full Consortium of Chaldea. There is an active movement on Chaldea to break away from the Bountiful System and the New Commonwealth and join the Free Worlds Alliance. ☀In Solar Year 7396, elements of the Chaldean People's Front and People's Front of Chaldea seized a Bountiful System MOLE ship, ''St. Columba, and renamed it Redemption. ''Redemption ''became the flagship of the Chaldean Independence movement. Redemption is the capital city of Chaldea. Other large cities include Vertiron, Surf City and the Latham-Beckinsale-Hart Metroplex. Babylon, the moon of Chaldea, is the home of Babylon Station (the outer defensive outpost of the Bountiful System) and to the Babylon Shipyards – the largest construction and repair facility in the Bountiful Systems. There is also an extensive resort complex on Babylon that is the only place in the Bountiful System where gambling is legal. 500 million people live on Chaldea, primary Bountifullians, although a relatively large number of off-worlders have made homes there. Its capital and largest city is Redemption, which seats its Government. With a 100 person legislature elected at-large and a 14-member Executive Council, the Government is the smallest and weakest in the Tri-Systems. Category:Worlds